A bit of correction, Dereck. Back then it was called Neander-Do, not Taekwondo.

The name Taekwondo came about when a Neanderthal was given a piece of skin with stick-figure drawings on them by another Neanderthal.

Nean-B: "Hey, that looks pretty good. What is it?"

Nean-A: "Oh, they drawings of a fighting art I'm practicing. It's called Neander-Do".

Nean-B: "Those drawings look good!".

Nean-A: "Nah, they're just stick-figures. But here, take one, though"

And thus were born Take-One-Though.

Quote:Matt, it goes even further back then that. Back when Neanderthal man first learned that his feet were not only for running but he could defend himself by kicking, a ruthless caveman filed the rights to kicking and later it has evolved to what is known as Taekwondo. If you look in caves you will see stick figures shown kicking and that is Taekwondo.

Excellent. There is so much literature out there and things get watered down that Neander-Do sometimes doesn't get its fair shake when people like me only remember the half truths. The kihup/grunting thing I am bang on about.

I don't get caught up in the politics of TKD like many others. Yes, Happy Birthday to the name Taekwondo for being 52 years old, this is an accomplishment though a small one in the larger picture. I am one of those believers that much of what Taekwondo is comes from the accumulation of years of doing martial arts that has many influences outside and from within Korea. That somebody named it and put a pretty little bow on it does not take from that fact. All of the celestial planets were around a lot longer then any of us but that somebody one day named them doesn't make it them new. Kicks are kicks and punches are punches and by making some new forms/patterns/katas and introducing rules to sparring are probably the most visible changes making Taekwondo different from many other arts and that it what Taekwondo is and should be proud for it. Again it is only a name that even from one school to another is different even if they fly the ITF or WTF or any other organization banner.

_________________________"IF I COME ... I'M BRINGING THE PAIN WITH ME"